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June 25, 2010

A few months ago I was playing around with my markers and drew this funky, zetti bird. Thought you might enjoy adding her to your files as a funky change of pace. It'll be fun to see when and how she "lands"!

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It's time to and pull the plug on the matrix and go off the grid for a week or so. We're driving to the beautiful State of Maine for a long-awaited and much needed vacation. I can't wait to see my daughter and her gorgeous family!

While I'm away, I will have limited access to the I-net and will check in occasionally, but won't have any new posts until after I return somewhere around July 5th.

June 22, 2010

This little face may be familiar, and indeed, Miss Fish (aka Miss Fiona) is a piece that I've posted earlier. (Click here to go there!) However, there something a bit different about this version. Look closely . . . .

Embellished & Embroidered

I pulled out my old Singer sewing machine, gathered some embroidery floss along with some beads and baubles to have a go at a fabric version of Miss Fiona. Admittedly, I've fallen under the influence of a few textile artist friends of mine, and I decided to try to convert my art into something very tactile.

I used a saved copy of my artwork, an inkjet fabric sheet and my home printer. I'll try anything at least once! And although the following overview didn't scan very well (because of the embellishments), it'll give you a pretty good idea of the finished piece, although it's actually a bit more colorful in real life.

Special thanks to my two talented friends, Lorraine at Creative Daily and Trudi at Two Dresses Studio for sharing their creativity. inspiration and encouragement. If you have an opportunity, stop by their blogs to see some of their awesome textile creations.

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A Few Quick Comments

Regarding my post the other day regarding the Sharpie paint pens, I was unaware that the Sanford - Sharpie - pens are not sold in the United Kingdom. For all of my friends in the UK, it's my understanding from a friend, that the Uni Posca paint pens are the same as the Sharpies.

Also, my sincere thanks to everyone for leaving such wonderful comments on yesterday's post regarding your artistic preferences between digital and cut and paste. The results of my informal poll definitely lean in favor of scissors, gel medium and paste. Frankly, I couldn't live without paint and paper scraps in my life!

June 20, 2010

As a mixed media collage artist, I feel as though I have a foot in both the "cut and paste" world and the digital. This journal page is a marriage of the two - a true "hybrid".

I used a photo editing program to compose my page, and printed it when I was satisfied with the digital layout. I then used Prismacolor Pencils, watercolors, PanPastels and an assortment of pens for my journaling and doodles.

There are many debates for and against the use of digital art. Arguments are being made for both sides. Frankly, I love creating the "traditional" way with paste and scissors, but I enjoy the ease of sizing and manipulating the images I use digitally. What do you prefer?

June 18, 2010

We're celebrating Father's Day this weekend here in the States, so thought you might like a manly image in honor of the celebration. Happy Father's Day to all of the Dad's!

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Sharpie Paint Pens

When Sharpie discontinued their beloved Poster Paint Pens last year, the art journaling community went into a tizzy. (The white pens were wonderful!) I'm happy to report that they're BACK!!! They're now being marketed as water based paint pens - as opposed to the old poster paint pens, and I found them at Michaels. They were on an end cap in great colors, and more importantly, there's a great assortment of different sized tips. You can see the new pens at the Sharpie website if you click here. Yippee!!! It's the little things that make my day!

June 15, 2010

As promised, here's side #2 of the journal page swap that I posted previously. The requirements for this page were that it should be different from the first page's Zetti theme, and it should also be something out of our comfort zone.

Although I love Steampunk, I'm not very knowledgeable or comfortable with it. This page seemed to present the perfect opportunity to have a little fun and try my new wings.

May you have the courage to try something new today!

Credits: Thanks to Moonlight Journey for the image of the man and the green, striped border. Also thanks to Tumble Fish Studio @ DeviantScrap for the background, clouds, buildings and patterned borders and to Crowabout StudioB @ DeviantScrap for the "open" sign. Special thanks to Julia @ Ceremony-Etsy for the heart and to Sherrie JD & Evelyn Ducote's "Steampunk" for the top hat and wings. Butterfly is from Dover Publications and the rose is from Pringle Hill Studio.

June 13, 2010

One of my art group's swaps this month asked that each contributing artist create a 5"x7" journal page with a zetti-themed front side. The second side of the page is to be "artist's choice" and something totally different from the front side.

Once again, this is a traditional cut and paste collage layered on a water-colored background. Many of the images have been recolored and/or embellished with gel pens, watercolors, paint pens, Prismacolor pencils and lots of doodles. I must admit, I really LOVE doodles!

The second side of this page is coming "soon"!!!

May your day be filled with joy!

Credits: Thanks toCrowabout StudioB @ DeviantScrapfor the house, face, body and borders. The moon is from Dover Publications, and the rose from Pringle Hill Studio. The eyes were clipped from a magazine.

June 11, 2010

Since June is known as the month of weddings, it seems appropriate that this week's 'freebie' should be a beautiful, vintage bride. And, "just because", I've added a JPEG ATC background for you too. Believe it or not, this picture was taken in the supermarket with my IPhone, downloaded to my computer and edited in Photoshop Elements.

ATC Background

I must give credit for this bride to the beautiful spirit known simply as Suzee Que. She posted the original picture in a Flickr sharing group quite a while ago. I've cleaned up the scratches, removed the original background and some writing that was on her veil, added a hint of color and changed the image to black and white. Thank you, Sweet Angel, for your generosity. You are truly missed.

June 8, 2010

Sometimes when I see a new idea or technique, my schnauzer-like curiosity kicks in and I just have to give it a try. When one of my art groups decided to do a mail art swap, the theme was artist's choice. After watching a video by Roben-Marie Smith (Click here to see her awesome video.), my creative juices went into overdrive. I printed a bunch of fun Zetti pieces from Crowabout StudioB@Deviant Scrap, grabbed a file folder to use as a base, snipped random bits of papers and ephemera, and even brought my old Singer sewing machine out of hiding to create some added texture.

This week's theme at the Three Muses is to "pick a song", and my next art group swap was to make a house-themed bookmark. Once again, I couldn't resist using little Zetti houses. They're so darned happy!

Bookmark

Front and . . .

Back(My artist info will go here!)

Yes! That IS a little pink house on the back side of the bookmark - and it was inspired by John Mellencamp's famous "Little Pink Houses" song. (I couldn't resist the temptation!) And, for the sake of the record, I did grow up in a little pink split-level in the 1960's! Now that's a trip down Memory Lane!

Since I adore Marsha's work, my ATC is a tribute to the Divine Miss Tumble Fish. Not counting duplicates, I've used twelve images from Tumble Fish Studio @DeviantScrap except for the rose (which is one of my creations.) A lucky winner will receive an $8 gift certificate for Tumble Fish Studio merchandise. You have until June 20th to participate, and you can go there by clicking here. Best part of this swap is that you can choose to trade "digitally" or by snail mail. Check it out!

Hope you enjoy an inspired art day!

Credits: All images on these pieces are from CrowaboutStudioB @DeviantArtwith the following exceptions. On the envelope: Dover Publicationsfor the butterflies, Tumble Fish Studio @DeviantArt for the two hearts on the front side, and to the Crowabout Flickr Group for the word "dream" on the front and the crazy amigos on the back. On the bookmark: Thanks to Tumble Fish Studio @DeviantArtfor the heart on the front and the word "home" on the back.

June 6, 2010

For whatever reason, it seems as though I've been in a pink art mood lately. And, frankly speaking, I'm NOT a pink person by any stretch of the imagination. My personal preference tends to lean towards purple, green and teal, yet my work is always rich with the radiance of orange and red. Which gives me pause for thought . . .

When I look at the body of my work, patterns of color preference weave and wind their way through my creations. When you look at your work, do you favor certain color patterns too?

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A Sale on Men!

If you're looking for a few good men, hop on over to Moonlight Journey. Becky and Lynne are having a Buy One Get One Free sale on their digital men, and it's just in time for Father's Day! This sale will run through June 18th. You can go there to check it out if you click here.

May your day be touched with many colors!

Credits: Thanks to Moonlight Journey for the beautiful lady, the green wings, the background and the pretty pink flowers in her hair. Special thanks, too, to Tumble Fish Studio@ DeviantScrap for the beautiful crown, the stars and the word, "Create". Butterflies and bird are from Dover Publications. Roses and borders are from Pringle Hill Studio.

June 4, 2010

Although I consider myself a "cut and paste" artist, I'm fascinated by digital art and like to dabble in it every once in a while. When I found this week's "Freebie", I couldn't resist composing a piece that includes one of my photos. I know you'll have fun with this lovely lady.

A PNG File

And . . .

A JPEG

For your artful pleasure!

Hope your day has a bit of fun in it!

Credits: To my knowledge, this image is in the public domain. A special thanks to Flickr's Playing with Brushes for the background texture and to SwimChick for a few of the brushes I've used. The photo of the climbing flowers growing on the wall (including the finial) is from my collection.

June 2, 2010

Back in November I took a journaling class that was taught by the lovely and talented Nancy Baumiller of Crowabout fame. At that time, as part of our class assignments, I created this pretty pink page that somehow got stuck in the back of my class file waiting to be completed.

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Copyright

It's very flattering if you'd like to use my art or photos; but please, do not use my art, photos or words in any way (including digital, email, etc.) without my permission. Please ask for permission before blogging too. It's the polite and lawful thing to do! Thanks!